Milo’s canceled appearance is a clear win for Villanova women

His rhetoric perpetuates a dangerous narrative that confines us to a man’s world

Milo Yiannopoulos was meant to come to Villanova in November on his countrywide tour, but the event garnered so much negative attention that the university chose to intervene yesterday and canceled his appearance.

This news was not well received by all students, but despite this, his cancelation was undeniably a win for women because his opinion on feminism is his most dangerous and damaging discourse.

Our future can remain female

Yiannopoulos’s opinion that “women cannot be mothers and have a job” is a fallacy, which he believes originates from “unattractive hogs,” or feminists. My greatest hope for our university is that young women would not want to sit passively in an audience and accept these notions.

On a campus where gender roles are already rigid and being a feminist is unusual, the last thing Villanova women need is someone circulating damaging, anti-female speech.

Caroline Foley, a senior, told The Tab: “Milo’s rhetoric perpetuates a dangerous narrative that confines women to a man’s world.

“Universities are supposed to cultivate excellence from all students, and bringing Milo to school would further enforce patriarchal systems in the world of academia and business.”

The university was right to take a stance against some of his more hateful ideologies but like every person, Yiannopoulos is clearly multi-faceted. His opinions can actually be quite nuanced, so we cannot condemn or accept all of his views. But even if his views are correct, going round bashing women is not the way to express them.

We should stand by the university’s decision

However, one senior, Maria McGeary, disagreed with canceling Milo’s appearance. She told The Tab: “I actually think there’s a real power in confronting perspectives that you find damaging or problematic. I think it allows you to be stronger in your own convictions.

“That’s why I thought it was really interesting and cool that rather than encouraging a boycott, a lot of students on social media were saying, let’s go and show him that we don’t agree. Let’s go and confront this person whose opinions and ideas we have a real problem with.”

Milo Yiannopoulos may be the face of the “alt-right,” but this is not about his politics. This is about his treatment of women. “Women’s issues” should not be treated as “political issues”  – these are human issues. Things like a woman’s right to exercise control over her own body should be understandable and relatable on a human level above all.

After it was announced that Yiannopoulos would come to campus, Julianne Dinsmore, a young alumna, watched in disbelief as Villanovans took to social media to debate the event. She told The Tab: “After experiencing the polarization of feminists on Villanova’s campus, it’s disheartening to see that some of my peers are willing to continue the trend by inviting Milo to campus.

“His ideas are not only sexist, they are completely blind to the realities women face everyday especially on college campuses.”

Indeed, the university has saved us all from the twisted and antiquated discussion that inevitably ensues when Yiannopoulos begins talking about feminism, a concept he openly condemns by saying things like “women are single and miserable because they listen to feminists.”

Yiannopoulos also believes “feminism is capitalizing on men’s natural chivalrous instincts.” We should reject this concept and embrace one of equality. We should hope that the decision to cancel this event came about in part from the men on our campus rejecting this discourse because they are better than that.

Women at this school should deserve better from our brothers, fathers, boyfriends, classmates, and friends.

He also believes rape culture is a “myth” and likens planned parenthood to a Nazi regime of “sociopathic monsters.” Frankly, it is disgraceful that a man like Yiannopoulos believes he can weigh in on issues like these. He will never have to face a day when he decides whether a mistake, a surprise, or even an assault will change his entire life, because the truth is, that decision is not his to make, the burden not his to carry.

And in true feminist spirit, we cannot let a man should step on our right to live without constraint — just as Yiannopoulos lives his. This is why we should stand with our university calling a foul on this dangerous discourse.

 

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